Electric bell.



FRANK W'. WOOD, OF NEYVPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA.

ELECTRIC BELL.

SPFGFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 716,8()1, dated December23, 1902. Application led September 21 1902. ASerial No. 121,886.(No'model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK W. WOOD, a citizen of the UnitedStates,'residing at Newport News, in the county of Vl/Tarwick and Stateof Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in ElectricBells, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to electric bells, and more especially to suchbells intended for use on shipboard and in other places where the bellsare exposed. to the injurious eects of the weather, moisture, dust, andother harmful matter, agents, or materials. In practice it has beenfound that the electric bells used on board ship and on the seashorequickly become uncertain and erratic in operation and are apt to be soonrendered entirely inoperative owing to the corrosive and oxidizing ei"-'ect of the saline atmosphere and the destructive action of the moistureto which they are subjected. Also electric bells that are used in mills,factories, mines, and similar places are liable to be rendered ineectiveor unsatisfactory in operation owing to the accumulation of dust and thelike, and in similar manner and owing to analogous causes electric bellslocated in various different places and employed for numerous differentpurposes prove inefcent and unsatisfactory. It has been sought to remedyor. prevent these evil results .by inclosing the hammer actuatingmechanism in a casing sealed against the enf trance of moisture, dust,and the like and so connect the hammer therewith that while the hammeris free to oscillate to vring the gong it will not permit the entranceof moisture, dust, or other injurious or deteriorating matter to theinterior of the casing. It is to electric bells of such type'that myinvention relates; and it has for its object to provide a bell of theclass referred to in which all the hammer-actuating parts, including theadjusting mechanism and the electrical connections, are wholly inclosedwithin the casing and are also carried by the cover plate of saidcasing, to provide improved means for journaling the rock-shaft on whichthe armature and bellhammer are mounted, to increase the` resiliency ofthe contact spring, and thereby otter the least resistance to the actionof the armature and bell-hammer, and,

finally, to improve the construction and render more eflicient theoperation of this class of bells generally. y

To these ends my invention consists in the features and in theconstruction, combina* tion, and arrangement of parts hereinafterdescribed, andparticularly pointed out in the claims following thedescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification.

Figure l is a view in elevation with part of the gong broken away. Fig.2 is a view of the inner face ot' the cover-plate, showing thebell-operating mechanism mounted thereon. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectiontaken on the line 3 3 of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the yokethat straddles the poles of the magnet.

Referring to the drawingsthe numeral l indicates the body of the casingwhich incloses the actuating mechanism of my improved bell, said casingbeing preferably constructed of metal Yand comprising a cylindricalsheet 2, closed at its rear end by a back 3, which may either be castintegrally with the shell 2 or be attached thereto in an air-tightmanner by any preferred means. Formed on the periphery of the shell 2 ata suitable point is an externally-threaded nipple 4l, through which theline-wires 5 and Bare inserted and ledv into the interior of the casing.The linewires are passed through a soft-rubber plug 7, which titsclosely in the thimble or nipple 4, andafter the plug has been fitted inplace an interiorly-threaded ferrule or collar 8, provided internallywith an annular shoulder 9, is screwed over the nipple, the shoulder 9litting over the outer end of. the rubber plug and compressing thelatter in the nipple, thereby causing said plug to closely t within thenipple and tightly clamp the wires, whereby moisture, air, dust, and thelike is effectually prevented from gaining access to the interior ofthecasing at this point. The body of the casing is provided withlaterallyprojecting perforated ears or lugs 10, through which may hepassed screws for attaching the bell to any suitable support.'` Thefront of the casing is closed bya co ver-plate l1, which preferablyconsists ci' a fiat metallic disk which is secured to the body of thecasing by screws l", a gasket or packing-ring 13, of

rubber or other suitable material, being interposed between thecover-plate and the outer edge of the shell 2, whereby when the screws12 are tightened up the gasket is tightly clamped between the two andforms a hermetically-sealed joint. Fitted in or formed centrally on theouter side of the cover-plate is a hollow post 14, internally threadedat its outer end, and on said outer end thereof is secured a gong l5 bymeans of a screw 16.

Arranged on the inner side of the coverplate 11 is an electromagne't 17,which is fixed at one end to said plate by a screw 18, which passesthrough the bridge piece 19, said bridge-piece being insulated from thecoverplate by a piece of insulating material 2O and the screw 18 beingalso insulated from the cover in any suitable manner. The opposite endof the magnet is secured to the coverplate by a yoke 21, which straddlesthe two poles or ends ofthe cores of the magnet, said yoke beingprovided with a right-angular lug 22, which is attached to thecover-plate by screws 23. The said yoke is also provided With abracket-lug 24, which is bent up at a right angle to the yoke, as shownand for the purpose hereinafter explained. Fastened by screws 25 to theouter side of the cover-plate is a bracket 26, in the free end of whichis screwed a bearing-screw 27, in the inner end of which is formed aconical socket or stepbearing. A jam-nut 28 is fitted on thebearing-screw, by means of which said screw may be locked in positionafter having been adjusted. A rock-shaft 29 is rotatably fitted in apacked perforation 29 in the cover-plate and is provided with conical orpointed extremities, one of which is journaled in the stepbearing in thebearing-screw, and the other end is journaled in a similar step-bearingformed in the bracket-lug 24. By means of the bearing-screw 27 therock-shaft may be readily journaled in place and the bearing may beaccurately adjusted to secure freedom of oscillation of the bell-hammer.The bellhammer comprises a hammer-head 30, formed or iixed on the end ofan arm 3l, the other end of which terminates in a perforated boss orenlargement 32, which is iitted on the rockshaft and xed thereto by aset-screw 33. By means of the set-screw 33 the hammer may be adjusted onthe rock-shaft to cause it to strike the gong in the proper manner.After the rock-shaft and hammer have been properly adjusted by means ofthe screws 27 and 33 such adjustment is not thereafter apt to needreadjustment.

Attached to the inner side of the cover-plate by screws 34 on one sideof the electromagnet are two plates 35 and 36, which are insulated fromthe'cover-plate and attached to the coverplate on the other side of themagnet by screws 37, and insulated from the cover-plate is a plate 38.The plate 35 is provided with an inwardly-projecting and perforated lug39, through which passes a threaded shank or stem 40, one end of whichis bent laterally or at a right angle, as at 4l. In the end of the bentportion or arm 4l is fitted a platinum contact 42. Jam-nuts 43 arescrewed on the shank 40 on each side of the lug 39 and operate toprevent accidental displacement of the shaft 40 or its overhanging arm4l. A screw 43 is screwed into the lug 39 and serves as a binding-postfor electrically connecting one of the terminals, as 44, of theelectromagnet with the contact 42. The plate 36 is provided with athreaded stem or stud 45, on which are screwed nuts 46,and forms abinding-post for the connection of one of the line-wires, as 5, and forthe other terminal- 47 of the electromagnet. The other line-wire 6 isconnected to a binding-post 48 on the plate 38 by nuts 49, and saidplate is provided with an inwardly-projecting lug 50, through the inneryend of which passes an adjusting-screw 51, which is locked in itsadjusted position by a jam-nut 52.

Fixed on the rock-shaft 29 is one end of an armature 53, which isdisposed opposite the poles of the magnet, and fixed to the armature 53and insulated therefrom is a strip of resilient metal 54. As shown, saidstrip is secured to the armature by screws 54' intery mediate its ends,one end 55 of the spring being slightly offset to overhang the free endportion of 'the armature and to normally rest against the platinumcontact 42. In order that such end of the strip, or the contactspring,as I term it, may have increased resilience, so that it may offer butlittle resistance to the movement of the armature when the latter isreleased by the magnet,and hence will exert but slight resistance to theaction of the tension-spring presently to be described, said end 55 ofthe metallic strip is made thinner than the remaining portion of saidstrip and is also preferably made of less width,whereby when thearmature is released by the magnet it is free to complete its fullstroke so far as is permitted by the arm 4l. Furthermore, by making thecontact-spring highly resilient in the manner described thetension-spring need not be made so strong as would otherwise benecessary, and I am also enabled to effect a very close, accurate, anddelicate adjustment between said contact-spring and the contact 42. Theother portion of the metallic strip is bent near the pivoted end of thearmature to form a substantially U-shaped loop 56 and is then bent atapproximately a right angle to the armature to form the tension-spring57. The free end of the tension-spring 57 bears against the end of theadjusting-screw 5l and operates to swing the armature to and normallyhold it in the position shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. By turning thescrew 5l in one directionor the other the tension of said spring can beregulated so as to quickly retract the armature from the magnet when thecircuit is broken and at the same time not offer un- IOO IIO

due resistance to the action of the magnet when the circuit is closedand the magnet energized.

The operation of my improved bell will be` readily understood. lt thecircuit be closed through the line-wires, it maybe traced as follows:Entering by the line-Wire 5 it passes through the binding-post to theterminal of the helices of the magnet, through said helices, and bytheother terminal to the binding-post 39, from the latter through the shankor stem 40, arm 4l, and contact 42, thence through the contact-springand tension-springe?, through the post 50, plate 36, and binding-post48, and back by the return-Wire. The circuit is thus completed throughthe electromagnet energizing the latter and attracting the armature.Then the armature is attracted by the magnet, the contact-spring isseparated from the contact 42, thus breaking the circuit, whereupon thetension -spring retracts the armature and moves the contact-spring backinto engagement with the contact 42, thus again closing the circuit andcausing the magnet to again attract the armature. The armature is thuscaused to vibrate as long as the circuit through the line-wires ismaintained closed. The bell-hammer being mounted on the rockshaft onwhich the armature is fixed will of course be vibrated with the armatureand strike `the gong. It will be noted that no openings are left at anypointof the inclosing casing for the entrance of moisture, dust, or thelike, and as all the actuating parts of the apparatus are inclosed insaid casing they are safely and etfectually protected. It will also benoted that all the electrical connections, bindingfposts, and the like,as well as the ad j usin g de vices, are inclosed within the casing andthat every part .of the apparatus is carried by the cover-plate of theapparatus'.

` Owing to this construction the various parts of the bell may be veryeasily assembled and fixed in position and may be adjusted and the lconnections made before being placed in the inclosing casing. To readg`ust any of the parts, it is only necessary to remove the coverplate, andall the parts being carried by said cover-plate they are immediately andconveniently accessible. As shown, the bellhammer is entirely covered bythe gong, whereby it is protected from injury or accidentaldisplacement.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- I. An electric bellcomprising a Water-tight casing inclosing the bell-hammer-actuatingmechanism and provided with a removable cover-plate, the bell-ringingmechanism and the bell being carried by the cover-plate alone,substantially as described.

2. An electric bell comprising a Water-tight casing inclosiug thebell-hammer-actuating mechanism and provided with a removablecover-plate, the bell-hammer-actuating mech- I anism being attached tothe'inner side of the cover-plate and the gong and hammer to the outsideof said cover-plate, whereby the bell and bellringing mechanism may beremoved With the cover-plate from the casing, substantially asdescribed.

3. An electric bell comprising a water-tight casing provided wit h aremovable cover-plate, the bell-hammer-actuating mechanism, thebinding-posts and the adjusting devices being all inclosed within thecasing and carried by the cover-plate, substantially as described.

4. In an electric bell, the combination with a Water-tight casingprovided with a removable cover-plate, of a gong attached exteriorly tothe cover-plate, bell-hammer-actuating mechanism arranged within thecasing and carried by saidremovable cover-plate, a rock-shaft forming apart of the bell-ringing mechanism and extending through the coverplate,'and a bell-hammer fixed on said rockshaft and wholly covered by saidgong, substantially as described.

5. In an electric bell, thefcombination with a water-tight casingprovided with a removable cover-plate, of a gong attached exteriorly tothe cover-plate, an electromagnet attached to the inner side of thecover-plate, a rock-shaft journaled at its opposite ends in bearingsattached to the opposite sides of the cover-plate,'and passing throughthe latter, an armature inclosed Within the casing and fixed on saidrock-shaft, a bell-hammer fixed on' the outer end of the rock-shaft andWholly covered by the gong, an electric circuit including therein theelectromagnet, and circuit making and breaking mechanism included insaid circuit, substantially as described.

6. In an electric bell, the combination with a water-tight casingprovided with a removable cover-plate, of a gong attached. eXteriorly tothe cover-plate, an electromagnet attached to the inner side of thecover-plate, a yoke also attached to the inner side of the cover-plateand straddling the poles of said magnet, said yoke having aright-angular lug provided with a step bearing, a bracket attached tothe outer side of the cover-plate and provided with a step-bearing, arock-shaft eX- tending through the cover-plate and having conical endsjourn'aled in said step-bearings, an armature and bell-hammerrespectively fixed on the inner and outer ends of the rockshaft, anelectric circ uit including therein the electromagnet, and circuitmaking and breaking mechanism included in said circuit, substantially asdescribed.

7. In an electric bell, the combination with a water-tightcasingprovided with a removable cover-plate, of a gong attachedexteriorly to the cover-plate, an electromagnet attached to the innerside of the cover-plate, a rock-shaft passing through the cover-plateand journaled in bearings attached to the in- IOO IIO

Io and an electric circuit including therein in series theeleetromagnet, the said shank, and the contact and tension springs,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing Witi5 FRANK W. WOOD. Witnesses:

C. A. HOFFMAN, J. E. WARREN.

